Chair back construction



Aug. 16, 1938.

R. w. LOTZ 2,127,337

CHAIR BACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 16, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l m enrar Aug. 16, 1938.. w. LOTZ 2,127,337

CHAIR BAC K CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 16, 1936 Z Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATS Ars'r oric CHAIR BACK CONSTRUQTION Application September 16, 1936, Serial No. 101,101

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in seating furniture backs and particularly chair-backs, and has for its main object to provide a structure of this type which will fit itself yieldingly to the contour of the back of the occupant of the chair and will afford a veryresilient and easily yielding head-rest so constructed as to cooperate with resilient means for maintaining the body portion of the back-supporting means laterally taut to provide a yielding support for said body portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a'structure possessing the characteristics indicated hereinabove, which is adapted to be completely enclosed in a relatively thin and cheap upholstery pad secured along its marginal edges to rigid portions of the chair back, and which is relatively cheap, very durable and eficient and permits of embodiment in an upholstered chair at small cost of labor and material. a

A suitable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. '1 is a front elevation of a chair back constructed in accordance with the invention, the

upholstery pad being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view taken. on the line 2-2 of Fig. land showing the upholstery pad disposed over the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views illustrating types of springs employed.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a top corner member employed.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the chair back includes the substantially conventional side and cross rails I, 2 and 3, respectively, commonly found in chair frames for upholstered chairs. These are commonly made of wood and are substantially rigid.

Mounted upon the side rails l at regular intervals are springs 4 of the type illustrated in Fig. 5. Each of said springs comprises. a sub stantially U-shaped wire member, the arms of which are bowed along their outer end portions 5 and terminate in hooks 6. These. springs are mounted upon the side rails i by means of plates 1 and fastening devices 8 so that the said hooks 6 are spaced appreciably from the side rail on which the spring is mounted and are opposed to the other side rail l, the curved portions of the arms of the springs are preferably disposed to project slightly beyond the outer side edge of the rail upon which the springs 4 are mounted.

Said springs on each side rail l are spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to the spacing apart of the hooks 6 of each spring.

Secured to the top rail 2 of the chair back frame is a series of bowed springs of the type shown in Fig. 4, each comprising a terminal bar 9 and a pair of arms iii bent to zigzag form as shown, the terminal ends ll of said arms it being aligned with each other and parallel with the bar 9 and spaced from the latter. Preferably, the terminal end portions of said springs which include the terminals H, are secured to said top rail 2 in spaced relation to each other, substantially as shown in Fig. 3.

A rectangular web it of a suitable fabric equipped with hems it along its side edge and with sheet metal hooks M along its upper edge, is secured along its lower edge to the cross-rail 3 of the back frame. Said web i2 is of a width appreciably less than the normal space between the hooks 5 of the springs i mounted upon the respective side rails l. Resilient wires iii are enclosed in the hems iii, the hooks t of the springs 4 being passed through the side edge portions of the web IE to engage the said wires i5 and maintain the web i2 normally taut laterally. Perforations may be provided in the web for thereception of said hooks 6, but this is not essential as the said hooks may be forced through the fabric.

The hooks M are so spaced from each other that two or three thereof will engage each of the terminal bars 9 of the respective springs secured to the top rail 2 of the back frame, said bars being normally spaced from the said rail ll a distance greater than the desired spacing of the web 12 from the several side and cross-rails l, 2 and it and also normally spaced appreciably from the upper edge of said web so that upon the engagement of said bars 9 with the hooks M, the said web l2 will be maintained taut longitudinally. A relatively stiff but resilient cross-wire It is suitably. secured at its ends to the lowermost hooks 6 of the lowermost springs 45 mounted upon the side rails, said wire I6 being disposed behind and in supporting relation to the web it.

The springs of Fig. 5 are appreciably more resilient and yielding than the springs i and, obviously, are readily distorted to cause the bars 9 of contiguous springs to become angularly disl tions of the side rails I in such position as to cause the upper curved end portions thereof to occupy the position shown in Fig. 1.

A suitable pad #8 is secured along its top and side edges to the rails 2 and I, respectively, and extends over the top springs, the side springs 4, and over the entire area of the web I2, the lower end of the said pad being secured to the cross rail 3 of the back-frame.

The cross-wire i6 is positioned preferably at the level of the top surface of the seat cushion of the chair or above or below the latter as the judgment of the upholsterer may dictate. The portion of the structure wherein the cross wire it is located, may be stiffened by adding bowed springs, each similar to one arm of a spring 4, to the series of the latter on each side rail l with its hook engaged in the one end loops of the wire id, or in any other suitable manner.

The middle curved portions of the top springs project, preferably, appreciably above the upper edge of the rail 2.

In the manufacture and sale of the springs, webs and wires above described, to supply the manufacturer of upholstered furniture, each of the component parts of the yielding back support, such as the top springs and the side springs, may be sold in bulk, as in barrel lots, which is very advantageous. over the manufacture and shipping of fully assembled structures.

An advantage of the invention lies in the fact that the several springs and webs may be mounted upon side and top rails of different contours found in many chair frames. The ultimate structure may include a greater or lesser number of springs 4 per foot of length of the side rails. of the back frame than illustrated and described herein and, within reasonable limits, the arms of the springs 4 may be bent by the consumer to vary the longitudinal contour of the web 52 as by causing hooks (i of lower springs A to be spaced further from the side rails i than the hooks 6 of the upper springs i, or vice versa, to vary the longitudinal contour of the back support.

The pad l8 may be secured to the web !2 by tufting stitches or otherwise for better support.

The several springs shown and described are merely exemplary of springs of suitable shape capable of functioning to permit the web l2 to move rearward bodily responsively to pressure against its front face and to prevent the chair occupant from feeling the several springs 4 if his position in the chair is such that his back becomes directly opposed, in part, to the hook-ends of the springs 4 at either side.

I claim as my invention:

1. A chair back structure comprising a pair of side rails and a cross rail extending over the upper ends of side rails and constituting a substantially conventional chair back structure, a flexible web disposed substantially parallel with and spaced forwardly from said several rails, a hem along each of the side edges of said web, a resilient wire member disposed in each of said hems, there being perforations in said web inwardly of said wires, two sets of opposed bowed springs each secured at one end to one of said side rails with its middle portion spaced outwardly from the side edges of said web and having its outer extremity engaged in said perforations of said web for maintaining the latter taut and in its said position relatively to said several rails, a resilient cross-wire member spanning the space between and secured at its ends to the lowermost springs of said respective sets thereof and engaged with said web, and a series of bowed springs secured at one end each to the said cross rail and having their middle portions disposed above the upper edge of the latter and having downwardly projecting end portions secured to the upper edge of said web for cooperation with said cross wire to maintain said web taut, said last-named springs being more yielding than the first-named springs and cooperating with the latter to permit said Web to move bodily toward said rails under the influence of pressure against its front face.

2. A chair back structure comprising a pair of side rails and a cross rail extending over the upper ends of side rails and constituting a substantially conventional chair back structure, a flexible web disposed substantially parallel with and spaced forwardly from said several rails, a hem along each of the side edges of said web, a resilient wire member disposed in each of said hems, two sets of opposed bowed springs, each spring secured at one end to one of said side rails with its middle portion spaced outwardly from the side edges of said web and having its outer extremity passed through a hem of said web im-.

mediately inwardly of said resilient wire and engaged with the latter for maintaining the latter taut and in its said position relatively to said several rails, a resilient cross-wire member spanning the space between and secured at its ends to the lower-most springs of said respective sets thereof and engaged with said web, and a series of bowed springs secured at one end each to the said cross rail and having their middle portions disposed above the upper edge of the latter and; 

